Maintenance Checklist Fences Drives Walks
Maintenance Checklist Fences Drives Walks
Drives, walks and fences are the forgotten parts of property maintenance. They tend to be lost in the shuffle to maintain other parts of the property, and by the time they are noticed, extensive repairs, or complete reconstruction is often needed.
The list below should help to create a working checklist for fences, drives and walks that will help you to avoid costly repairs or reconstruction.
Drives
- Check drives for pot holes, erosion, or anything else that might cause the need for resurfacing or regrading.
- Check for the presence of weeds growing through asphalt or concrete expansion joints, or through the edges of asphalt drives.
- Grass and weeds can eat asphalt and concrete over time. Spraying the edges with a non selective systemic weed killer a couple of times a year will prevent further encroachment. also see our section on Chemical Mowing for other options.
Walks
Walks can suffer from some of the same problems as drives.
- Check for chips on concrete walks, any large ones should be repaired.
- Sinking soils can allow the concrete to crack and sink, causing puddling of water in the area.
- Plants growing in expansion joints can gradually lift and crack concrete.
- Stone walks can become uneasy due to soil erosion, compaction, freeze thaw cycles, and gophers activity. Adding soil may be necessary.
- Gravel walks should be kept level by raking periodically, and weed should be eliminated early when they appear.
- Asphalt walks need similar attention to that given to asphalt drives.
Fences
It is said that “good fences make good neighbors”. Whether that is true or not, I am not sure, but one thing is sure, and that is that if you have fences, they need to be inspected and maintained. Some fences are very important for family safety, especially pool fences. See the special note on pool fences below. Making sure that gates are in good order, and that all locks and latches are functioning properly.
Wire fences
- If the fence is wire, check for general tightness, and particularly sagging areas.
- If the posts are wooden, check for rot at the base.
- Make sure that all wire or staple connections to the posts are good.
Chain link fences
Chain link fences fences are often seen as being ugly. They seem to remind people of prisons, or other institutions, but when it comes to sturdy, economical fences, they rank highly.
Chain link fences should be checked for:
- Missing end caps
- Loose top and bottom rails
- Missing ties
- Loose or broken stretch wires
- Dangerous protrusions
- Poorly adjusted gate hinges and latches
- Out of plumb posts
Wooden fences
- If the fences are wooden, check for rot, check connections for proper tightness, whether they are attached with mortise and tenon joints, nails, screws, lag bolts, or other fasteners.
- Wooden fence pickets should be replaced when broken or rotten.
- Wooden uprights or railings should be replaced if broken or rotted.
- Check for finish. If the fence is painted, it will need repainting from time to time. If the wood was sealed with a moisture sealer, sealer will need to be applied at regular intervals.
Stone fences
- Stone fences can become damaged by the eroding effects of the elements. They can be damaged by freezing and thawing cycles, especially when water gets into cracks, freezes and expands.
- The soil can settle and cause the fence to settle as well. Moles and gophers can cause the same the same problem.
Steel fences
- Steel fences may need paint from time to time, and suffer from the same freezing and thawing problems as stone fences when water penetration is involved, although the problem is usually less severe.
Concrete fences
- Concrete fences, whether wall type, or concrete rails suffer from freeze and thaw problems.
- Concrete rails will need to be checked at the connections. Leaning posts can cause separations, so they will need to be straightened.
Vinyl plastic or PVC fences
Plastic type fences like vinyl or PVC do not surfer from the corrosion, and rot exhibited by many other types of fencing, but there are other problems. Their general lack of sturdiness can allow for breakage.
- Check for broken rails or posts.
- Make sure that the uprights are plumb and secure.
- If appearance is important, check often for mold or algae, and clean them accordingly.
To prevent fence damage, save on back breaking labor, save time and money, fence rows can be Chemically mowed in lieu of spin trimming.
Special note:
Pool fences
Pool fences, deserve special attention because of the number of drownings due to poor fencing, non existent, or inoperable gates, improper latches, bad locking mechanism, or just unused locks. This is something that deserves to be put on your checklist for at least a weekly check. If a problem is found with your pool fence gate, or locking system, it should be handled immediately!
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